WA city settles for $2M after cops fire 23 shots, killing mom of 2 in crisis
The Spotlight: Moment of Crisis
Bodycam video shows a mother of 2 in a mental health crisis get shot and killed by Longview Police after officers ordered her boyfriend to turn her loose, allowing her to retrieve a gun. He was holding her to keep her from getting into his bedroom where the gun was located and had called 911 for help. The City of Longview paid her family a $2,000,000 settlement. All of the officers were cleared legally of wrongdoing but the family's attorney believes the city should be investigating what went wrong and what police can do better going forward.
LONGVIEW, Wash. - The city of Longview has agreed to a $2 million settlement with the family of Katelyn Rose Smith, who was shot and killed by officers on New Year's Day 2024. The settlement avoids a trial in the case.
The backstory:
The incident began when Smith's boyfriend called 911, reporting she was experiencing a breakdown and attempting to access a gun.
"Can you help me and send somebody please? My girlfriend's literally trying to kill herself and she's freaking out," the boyfriend told the dispatcher.
He informed the dispatcher that he had hidden the guns in his room due to her manic state and was trying to prevent her from re-entering the house. "Ow! I had to hide them in my room because of how manic she's being. I'm trying to stop her from going in my house, but she's hurting me!" he said.
The 911 call taker relayed to officers that the boyfriend was attempting to keep Smith away from the firearms. However, responding officers, upon arrival, ordered the boyfriend to release Smith.
"There's a gun in my room she's going for right now," the boyfriend said during the encounter.
"Is it locked up?" asked one of the responding officers, and the other was ordering the boyfriend outside.
"No it's…please don't hurt her," the boyfriend said.
According to the lawsuit, as soon as he released her, Smith re-entered the house and retrieved a gun. Officers then issued commands.
"Put your hands up! Go to the frequency. She's got a gun. Drop the gun!" an officer is heard saying. "Drop the gun! Drop the gun! Just fired. Hey, move up. Move up."
A total of 23 shots were fired, and Smith died at the scene. The lawsuit alleged that instead of preventing access to the weapon, officers "created the very danger that led to her death."
Mark Lindquist, one of the attorneys representing Smith's family, stated, "What we know from public records and from body cam footage is that the officers knew that Katelyn was suicidal. They knew she was trying to get a gun and somehow they let her back into the house to get the gun anyway."
Lindquist expressed hope that the settlement would lead to improved training for law enforcement on how to manage individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
"We're hoping that this settlement, this accountability, results in better and more training for law enforcement on how to deal with people who are having a mental health crisis," Lindquist said. He noted that because the case did not go to trial, the settlement did not mandate increased training or disciplinary action for the officers involved.
"You would hope that anytime a city pays out $2 million, they're going to examine ‘what did we do wrong and what can we do better going forward?’" Lindquist added.
Smith was a mother of two. Her boyfriend was heard on body camera footage saying, "I was just trying to hold her down because I didn't want her to go back in." He also said, "And she kept telling me she's gonna run inside and get my gun, so I just tried to hold her."
"The family wants to see the same thing that I believe the rest of us want to see, which is not just accountability, but changes. They want to see improvements in how law enforcement addresses mental health issues," Lindquist said.
The City of Longview issued a statement regarding the incident:
"Following the incident, all involved officers were cleared of wrongdoing through an internal investigation, an external review, and an independent assessment by the Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office. After reviewing the findings of the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team, the Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office determined the use of deadly force was justified and declined to file criminal charges."
The Source: Information in this story came from Mark Lindquist Law, the City of Longview and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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